The moment the words fell, Qiyu felt as if his entire body was lifted into the air, an expression of disbelief spreading across his face.
The next instant, he crashed heavily to the ground, pain twisting his features uncontrollably.
Xie Ling watched the scene with mild surprise.
He hadn’t expected the young man before him to possess such strength—to be able to overturn Qiyu outright.
But Xie Ling’s surprise didn’t last long.
He quickly composed himself, then delivered a sharp kick to Qiyu’s abdomen and pressed his foot onto Qiyu’s chest as he bent down and said, “What kind of dishes did you have to drink yourself so drunk, President Qi?”
After speaking, Xie Ling let out a scoffing laugh.
His raised eyebrows made him look even more imposing, his sharp features almost dazzling enough to wound anyone who met his gaze.
“Ah Ling…”
Qiyu tried to speak, but the next moment, Xie Ling stomped on his face.
“Next time you lay a hand on me, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
After saying this, Xie Ling kicked Qiyu aside, then turned to Xie Feiran beside him and said, “Feiran, let’s go.”
With that, Xie Ling took the lead and walked out of the cramped storage room.
Only then did Qiyu fix his gaze on Xie Feiran.
The white-haired youth before him was shorter and slender.
How did he have enough strength to flip him over?
Xie Feiran, a step behind, turned and met Qiyu’s gaze directly.
In that instant, Qiyu felt as if his entire soul was sullied under the pure eyes of the youth, leaving him somewhat embarrassed.
“Although I don’t know who you are, I won’t forgive anyone who hurts my comrade.”
With that, Xie Feiran stepped forward and left.
As Qiyu tried to rise, his hand suddenly pricked sharply.
Blood flowed onto the ground, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw the ice spike lying there.
Where did this ice spike come from?
Qiyu looked puzzled.
Could it have fallen when he dragged Xie Ling inside earlier?
Before he could think further, the ice spike melted into water, mixing with Qiyu’s blood and becoming indistinguishable.
Soon enough, Qiyu’s agent finally found him.
“You’re injured!”
The agent’s face turned pale with shock, quickly ordering someone nearby to bring gauze to stop the bleeding.
“I just fell accidentally,” Qiyu murmured softly.
“Why are you so careless?”
The agent couldn’t help but scold.
With injuries like this, it seemed unlikely Qiyu could continue filming the show.
“We can reschedule the shoot. For now, let’s get you to the hospital.”
The agent said, then helped Qiyu into the Baomu car and left the Polar Bear building.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Xie Feiran personally escorted Xie Ling to the parking lot.
“Thanks for today,” Xie Ling said with a cool expression, though a hint of awkwardness lingered.
“No problem.”
Xie Feiran removed a silver badge shaped like a snowflake from his sleeve and said, “Take this. If you ever find yourself in danger, just call my name. I’ll come to your side immediately.”
The intense aura of youthful drama nearly overwhelmed Xie Ling, but he calmly accepted the badge.
The silver badge felt cool to the touch, the snowflake on it exquisitely detailed.
Xie Feiran had given this badge to many players before, but none had the chance to use it—they all either had stronger Main Carries or endless healing potions.
“Thanks, but…”
Xie Ling glanced at Xie Feiran, about to urge him not to be so dramatic, but seeing the kindness behind the gesture, he finally said, “If Qiyu gives you trouble, just tell me.”
“Alright.”
Xie Feiran smiled gently.
He didn’t think Qiyu could ever give him any real trouble.
“Well, I’ll be off then.”
Xie Ling opened the car door.
The low-key luxurious Maybach curved elegantly away, gradually disappearing from Xie Feiran’s sight.
Just as Xie Feiran was about to return to the Practice Room to continue dancing, he turned and saw Ye Ansheng.
“What are you doing here?”
Xie Feiran asked, looking at Ye Ansheng a short distance away.
Ye Ansheng stroked his chin and said, “I heard Emperor Qi came to the Polar Bear building too. I was worried you and President Xie might get into a fight, so I came to help. But it seems you don’t need it.”
On the way here, Ye Ansheng had heard about Qiyu’s unfortunate fall and the injury to his hand, then knew that Xie Feiran was fine.
“But he is a shareholder of Shenghua Entertainment. You might be targeted for retaliation,” Ye Ansheng sighed and patted Xie Feiran on the shoulder.
“Hmm, I’ll go back to practice,” Xie Feiran nodded.
Ye Ansheng’s eyes widened.
“You’re really not worried?”
“I’m going to shoot videos tomorrow, so during filming, you’ll take care of their dance practice,” Xie Feiran said with a smile.
“Collaboration with Tina Continent?”
Ye Ansheng asked.
Xie Feiran nodded.
His birthday in the game was less than a week away.
Having been the main pushed character on Tina Continent for three years, this birthday had to be special.
“Then go ahead. I’ll take care of them for you,” Ye Ansheng said with a smile.
Looking at Xie Feiran, Ye Ansheng felt a twinge of envy. He was five years older, yet Xie Feiran was already famous across the internet while he was just stepping into the entertainment industry—not sure if he’d ever get the favor of a big shot.
Thinking this, Ye Ansheng looked at Xie Feiran and said, “If I had your talent, I wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
He wouldn’t have to train so relentlessly every day, living in constant fear that if he didn’t become famous, he’d have to return home and inherit the family business.
Xie Feiran ignored Ye Ansheng’s envy and dragged him back to the Practice Room for another round of training.
By the time training ended, it was already late at night.
Xie Feiran and Ye Ansheng walked back to their rooms.
“We’ve been training for three days. Everyone’s movements are basically on point now; their muscle memory kicks in when the music starts. But Luo Wen is still hesitant with some risky moves, and stamina remains a big issue. His breathing is unstable when dancing, and his singing goes off-key. No matter how well he dances, it drags down the score,” Ye Ansheng yawned and analyzed.
No matter what, he still felt that Flame was too demanding for them.
“Don’t worry about stamina. Let Luo Wen dance as much as he wants. With me around, I’ll always be able to pull him through,” Xie Feiran said, then paused and looked at Ye Ansheng.
“Since their bodies have formed muscle memory, tomorrow we’ll start practicing singing. Here’s the key to the Vocal Room. Take them there tomorrow.”
“Alright! Hanging out with a big shot really feels different,” Ye Ansheng happily took the key and then said goodbye to Xie Feiran.
Back in his room, Xie Feiran took a shower and then began checking unread messages.
His Live Room was crowded with people—some were players unhappy about his collaboration with Tina Continent, looking for dirt on him to stop the partnership.
Yet—
[Damn, a handsome guy stepping out of the bath, and it’s free?]
[Ahhhhhh, his legs are so slender, squee squee*.]
[I finally understand why people say he looks like he stepped right out of a painting.]
Even the players who supported the Xie Feiran character in the game, deeply attached to him, couldn’t find any difference between the figure on screen and the real Xie Feiran.
They were even captivated by his shy smile when he lowered his head.
Fans of the character felt conflicted—how could they transfer their love from the character to someone else?
Sitting on the bed, Xie Feiran seemed to sense their feelings and turned to the camera with a gentle smile, like spring sunshine melting the first snow.
So sweet—that was the thought of everyone who saw the smile.
“Good night.”
The room fell into darkness, but fans and players were reluctant to leave.
Actually, if this person played Xie Feiran, that wouldn’t be so bad.
The next moment, they couldn’t help but share these thoughts with friends and family.
At dawn the next day, Xie Feiran packed his things and stepped out of his room, immediately encountering several Shenghua Entertainment trainees.
“Isn’t this the 3S champion? Why are you packing? Are you dropping out?”
Sneered one lead singer from Shenghua Entertainment.
“Looks like you picked a song that was too hard and you’re scared of making a fool of yourself, so you’re quitting early.”
Xie Feiran looked at the boy before him, puzzled as to how he jumped to the conclusion that he would quit.
“It’s early in the morning; why all the noise?”
Ye Ansheng opened the door rubbing his messy hair.
“Who’s dropping out?”
Then Ye Ansheng laughed, looking the Shenghua lead singer up and down.
“You might skip books and newspapers, but you can’t tell me you don’t go online.”
The lead singer’s face darkened, but he stubbornly retorted, “Everyone trains every day. Who’s like you, three days on, two days off, with time to surf the net?”
Behind the lead singer, his companions quickly grabbed their phones and searched Weibo for Xie Feiran.
Within just a few days, Xie Feiran had hit the hot search list four or five times, clearly showing that Polar Bear was pouring resources into him.
Looking at Xie Feiran’s frightening follower growth, there was no way he would quit now.
At the same time, they discovered the announcement of cooperation between Tina Continent and Xie Feiran.
One of the companions tugged at the lead singer’s sleeve to show him the news.
After reading, the lead singer’s face turned red and pale, and after a long moment said, “You’re collaborating with Tina Continent!”
Xie Feiran glanced at him and replied, “Tianyi 3G is just too fast.”
Then he added a reminder, “There are cameras in the hallway, connected directly to the Live Room.”
Ye Ansheng: “Wuhu.”